Hometown MFG came to us with their new brand and asked for a way to integrate all this newness into the existing online presence that they love.
This isn’t the first website we created for Hometown Manufacturing. In fact, when we first met Jessica and her family, the business was named Hometown Trolley and they specialized in (you guessed it) trackless trolley busses. They had several models that were designed and built in the northwoods of Wisconsin. Jessica had mentioned that one day they were thinking they’d expand their product lines but not to worry about it when Hometown Trolley’s new site was created in 2016.
A few years later, Hometown Trolley came to us with their new brand, Hometown Manufacturing, and new bus line, Hometown Coach, and asked for a way to integrate all this newness into the existing online presence that they love.
The original trolley site was built to inspire nostalgia, which was the brand voice that we used to set their line apart from their main competition: transit busses. With the new Hometown Manufacturing umbrella building both trolleys and busses, we agreed that they needed a way to stand out yet keep a similar feeling and tone. In addition, we wanted to help accomplish their goals on a budget as the company was investing in manufacturing to really grow the line.
Merge two brands into one uniform website that helps them stand out while cross-promoting their mass transit buses and trolleys.
It sounds easy, but creating a compelling site that fits the modern feel of their urban bus and has the nostalgic presence of their Villager trolley was a tall order. We worked with them to develop a new online visual identity that is clean, modern, and cohesive. Throught the site, we highlighted that they are a woman and family-owned, American-made, and environmentally-focused as a company. Real imagery and video of the craftsmanship in progress depicts the intense scrutiny and care they funnel into every piece they manufacture, helping to tell the story of a business that builds with pride.
There are often several ways to attack any project. Integrating a new business into an existing niche-built site seems like a mountain at first, but we knew we could make it work well with some well thought out design and strategy moves. We’re excited to keep up with clients as they grow and grateful that they trust us to help them along their path.
